need some guidance. sticky/non-shifting 5mt. all gears

[Magnetrax]

1991 Legacy Turbo. 5mt. hydro clutch setup. 130k miles.
never slipped or smelled clutch prior to problem.

I was driving up to Bogus to go snowboarding. shifting from 2nd to 3rd under about 80% load (driving uphill, fast but not thrashing it). The move into 3rd felt sticky. did NOT hear or feel any pop or event of any kind, shifting just became sticky into all gears.

I tried stopping, turning off the car and moving threw the gears and still was unable to get into any gear.

clicked into reverse, moved the car a few inches and while rolling shifted into first, still sticky. Parked the car, went snowboarding then drove home using second and third (only caught two stop signs)

I've blead the clutch line and inspected for leaks.
no leaks, slave cylinder looks to be in good condition and moves about an inch, which i believe is up to spec.

I can not get the car into any gear most of the time, with the car on or off.
every once in a while I can catch reverse, 5th, 3rd, 2nd and even less often 1st.

I'm thinking (hoping) the tranny is ok, but that the throwout bearing is damaged or not engaging the clutch fully most of the time. Or that the pressure plate/clutch springs are broken or damaged ? ? ?

I am not afraid of dropping the tranny and inspecting things myself, but I do not have a garage or concrete slab, its winter and I'd have to borrow garage space from a neighbor or a cousin that lives close. I just would like to get as much help b4 i rip into things.

this time of year, to have my nice new dd down and out; too much stress for the holidays. any help would be very appreciated and would probably gain valuable karma credit just b4 Santa swings by.

thanks in advance!

[asotwavb]

Not too knowledgeable about transmissions, but did you take a look at all the linkage for the shifter?

[Legacy777]

I'd say it sounds like an issue with the shift linkage or possible one of the shift rods/arms in the transmission. You should be able to get the transmission in gear with the engine off without depressing the clutch. If you can't, there's likely an issue internal to the trans.

[Magnetrax]

the linkage seems ok, but i'll have to take a closer look.
internal damage??? that sucks, I havn't even pushed this car had yet.

[Vandal_RS]

I don't know if you got this fixed or not, but it sounds like a linkage or bushing problem to me. Maybe that is wishful thinking, though, because I am having the exact same issue.

Mine happened during a rallycross. My bushings are toast. It was all rubbery, always looked like it was in neutral, and 5th could be hard to find. I knew the bushings were bad. A friend was co-driving, and on his last run, he was forced to downshift into 1st (the entire course, if driven quickly and properly, could be taken 2nd). According to him, he heard no grinds, clunks, or noises of any kind, it just was a little tough to get it back into 2nd. I am sure he was rushing his shifts, but he is not a bad driver at all. I got in for my last run, and could not get it into any gear at all. I got lucky and got it in 2nd, and did my run (which added 2 secs to my time, starting in 2nd!). I mistakenly took it out of gear in the paddock, then again, could not get it in any gear at all.

We got underneath the car and noticed that there was no bushing at all between the shifter fork and the linkage (from the transmission, the first bushing location). Must have deteriorated to the point that it just fell out. We managed to get a few zipties stuck in there, enough to get 2nd through 5th back and get us home.

I took it all apart last weekend, and decided to get rid of the bushing there completely, instead using a steel sleeve and a different bolt from Lowes. There is no slop in that joint now, but I still don't have 1st gear. I can live with out the car for a few weeks, so I am just going to wait till after Christmas, buy new bushings and used wrx linkage.

I am still assuming it is a linkage problem. In my experience with failing or failed transmissions, which is small, they don't just suddenly stop going into gear, unless it is accompanied by a violent noise! They grind, they whine, they pop out of gear. Somebody correct me if I am wrong, though.

[cj91legss]

Ive had synchros get out of line without any noise, trying to fool around in a parking lot. Maybe a synchro got thrown out of whack?

[Magnetrax]

sounds like that may be the same type of issue I'm having.
thanks so much for your story!

we've got the trans out of the car. after a few hitches.

I can't see anything wrong with any part of the clutch. My shifter bushings do look pretty beat up but none of them are missing. A friend and hell of a nice guy has been lending me garage space and went ahead and pulled the linkage/prop shaft and a bunch of other stuff. He even noted the bad condition of those bushings.
that being said, I'm having another friend come by and look over the trans to see if its still good. if it is cleared, we will re-install it with a new clutch and probably a new shift linkage assembly.

there were no chunks of metal at all. but the fluid was in bad need of changing

[Magnetrax]

well,
replaced the clutch and all the parts that go along with that,
replaced the clutch master and slave cylinders
replaced the entire linkage with new "link" piece and a wrx setup w/bushings

the only thing that I can think it is would be a bent shift fork.

how much $$ have you all spent on rebuilds?

[Vandal_RS]

Oh man, that's not what I wanted to hear...

BTW, I lived in Downtown Boise 4 years ago, used to drive up Bogus Basin Road all the time, usually late at night. I worked evenings and weekends, and knew no one, so that was a big part of my entertainment. It is probably my favorite road on the planet, mostly for the memories. Snow tires and a couple inches of fresh snow made for the one of the best drives I have ever had. If you into gravel, 8th St turns into a pretty rowdy gravel road. You can actually take it all the way up to near the top of Bogus Basin road, but you used to need more ground clearance then my Subaru had. Then there is the road to Prairie. Wow.